Since Maria pummeled the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, FEMA and its federal partners have provided more than 4 million meals, 6 million liters of water, 70,000 tarps and 15,000 rolls of roof sheeting.

An additional 7 million meals and 4 million liters of water are en route to the islands by barge.

Already besieged by hurricanes ravaging the continental United States, FEMA may only now be facing the agency's most challenging recovery effort of the year.

Search and rescue efforts continue

At least 557 people and two pets in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands have been "saved or assisted" by FEMA search and rescue task forces, according to an agency spokesperson.

FEMA teams are continuing to operate search and rescue missions after combing through more than 2,600 structures.

With at least 5,600 personnel deployed to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, Department of Defense announced it has conducted at least eight medical evacuations.

Officials say the island needs power

Gov. Ricardo Rossello told ABC News Monday that crews have been able to return power to only about 5 percent of the island's 3.4 million people. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, tweeted the same day, “Returning from #PuertoRico now. Tremendous damage. Potential for serious crisis in areas outside of #SanJuan MUST get power crews in ASAP.”

Returning from #PuertoRico now. Tremendous damage. Potential for serious crisis in areas outside of #SanJuan MUST get power crews in ASAP

According to a FEMA press release sent to reporters Monday evening, the federal government has sent at least 281 generators to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands in an attempt to restore power to critical facilities until the permanent infrastructure can be repaired.

Getting resources to Puerto Rico is a challenge for recovery efforts

A FEMA spokesperson referred ABC News' request for information on power crews and other efforts to restore power to the island to the Department of Energy. A spokesperson at the Department of Energy did not immediately respond to ABC News.

The U.S. National Guard has deployed more than 2,500 personnel to the Caribbean to help move resources, rebuild infrastructure and provide security.

A FEMA spokesperson told ABC News that the agency is making progress and Trump told reporters that the challenges facing hurricane recovery efforts in Puerto Rico are different from those in Texas and Florida.

"But the difference is, this is an island sitting in the middle of an ocean. And it's a big ocean; it's a very big ocean," said the president. Trump added that he thinks FEMA is doing "a very good job."

Texas & Florida are doing great but Puerto Rico, which was already suffering from broken infrastructure & massive debt, is in deep trouble..

He reiterated the government's commitment to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands in a press conference later Tuesday. “The recovery process will be a very, very difficult one," Tump said. "We will get through this and we will get through it together. We will be stronger. We will be bigger. We will be better.”

ABCNews.com(SAN JUAN) -- After Hurricane Maria knocked out electricity to all of Puerto Rico, residents of the U.S. territory are "gasping for air" in the relenting heat, says the mayor of the island’s capital city of San Juan.

"What's out there is total devastation. Total annihilation. People literally gasping for air. I personally have taken people out and put them in ambulances because their generator has run out," Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz told ABC News.

Cruz said Puerto Rico has been prepared for major storms since the end of August, when Hurricane Irma was approaching. Irma slammed into the island and caused deaths and devastation, and was soon followed by the catastrophic hit of Maria. Parts of the island have now gone several weeks without running water and electricity.

Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello says the island is facing an "unprecedented disaster" in the wake of Maria, which tore through on Sept. 20, killing at least 16, demolishing homes and leaving long lines of residents desperate for gas.

A few stores have reopened across the island, but most remain closed due to power outages. By Monday night, at least 5 percent of electricity had been restored across the island.

FEMA and federal partners have provided over 4 million meals, over 6 million liters of water, 70,000 tarps and 15,000 rolls of roof sheeting to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, a FEMA spokesperson said. An additional 7 million meals and 4 million liters of water are en route, with even more federal supplies coming, the spokesperson said.

Cruz praised the efforts of FEMA workers, calling them "good people" who "want to help," but added that, "the chain of command needs to work a little faster for the people."

Many people need drinkable water and food, she continued, and while they are getting help and "appreciate it so much," they are not getting what they need fast enough.

Cruz said she is asking President Trump to allow FEMA to do more.

"Let the FEMA people do what they do best," she said, and "cut through the red tape."

Rossello said in a statement Monday, "This is a humanitarian disaster involving 3.4 million U.S. citizens."

"Given Puerto Rico's fragile economic recovery prior to the storms, we ask the Trump administration and U.S. Congress to take swift action to help Puerto Rico rebuild," Rossello said.

Assistant to the president on Homeland Security Tom Bossert, who was in Puerto Rico Monday, said he anticipates a "very long and hard recovery" but vowed to Puerto Rico residents, "You will get what you need to recover."

ABC News(LOS ANGELES) -- Authorities are investigating an apparent kidnapping that was captured on video last week, the Los Angeles Police Department said Monday.

Surveillance video captured late Sunday night appears to show a woman being snatched up and forced into a vehicle as she kicks frantically. Witnesses told police that they heard someone yell for help around the time that the incident took place.

The sedan appears to drive off as the woman fights to escape, according to surveillance footage.

Witnesses believe there may have been a second suspect in the vehicle, which was described as a as a light gray four-door sedan, possibly a Chrysler 200 or a Bentley.

Police said the car appeared to have Texas license plates, possibly with the first three numbers 763.

The LAPD described one suspect as “a male Hispanic in his 20s, 6 feet tall, about 200 pounds,” according to a statement. A description of the second suspect was not available.

LAPD Officer Mike Lopez told ABC’s Los Angeles station KABC that someone called 911 to report that they heard a woman scream, which is how the department located the surveillance video.

Police urge anyone with information to call detectives at (323)786-5447 or 1-877-LAPD-24-7. Anonymous calls can be made to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.

ABCNews.com(LOS ANGELES) -- At least 1,000 California residents were forced to evacuate on Monday evening due to a 2,000-acre wildfire that had already destroyed one structure, officials said.

California fire officials issued a mandatory evacuation for some residents in Corona, Calif., located about 45 minutes southeast of Los Angeles, as the wildfire threatened to burn multiple homes, according to fire officials.

The wildfire, dubbed the Canyon Fire by authorities, ignited on just after 1 p.m. on Monday. It was 5 percent contained as of early Tuesday morning, according to fire officials, who said the cause of the fire was unknown.

An estimated 300 homes in west Corona were under a mandatory evacuation, with between 1,000 and 1,200 residents affected, Anaheim Fire & Rescue officials said.

More than 300 fire personnel from multiple agencies were dispatched to fight the fast-growing fire via air and ground, but the battle was complicated by severe winds, fire officials said.

ABCNews.com(SAN JUAN) -- The situation is dire for the over 3 million Americans living on the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, which was battered by Hurricane Maria last week.

ABC News flew in a chopper on Monday along the path that Maria took over Puerto Rico, showing the widespread devastation left behind, from the demolished homes to the downed power lines.

Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello says the island is facing an "unprecedented disaster" in the wake of Maria, which tore through on Sept. 20, killing at least 16 and knocking out electricity to the entire island. The storm also devastated other islands in the Caribbean, including Dominica, where at least 27 have died.

"The devastation is vast," Rossello said. Maria built on the destruction caused by Hurricane Irma, which blew through just weeks earlier.

The view from the sky on Monday of Maria's aftermath showed gas lines, often stretching for miles, especially in more remote areas where people are desperate for fuel. Rossello on Sunday called for calm and said 185 gas stations are open throughout the island.

Maria demolished homes made of wood, while those built out of concrete for the most part survived.

Now five days since the storm hit, the chopper ride showed that most of the widespread flooding is gone, but some neighborhoods are still underwater.

The storm also flattened farms.

The New York Times reported that one farmer predicts, “There will be no food in Puerto Rico."

“There is no more agriculture in Puerto Rico," the farmer told the Times. "And there won’t be any for a year or longer.”

Maria left the entire island in the dark. Ahead of Irma, residents told ABC News how fragile the infrastructure is and how easily power can go out.

After Maria, the island has been reliant on generators, especially in San Juan.

The island's mountainous terrain is difficult to navigate, which makes getting in to simply restore down power lines more complicated.

Power restoration efforts are now underway.

As of Monday, 27 percent of the San Juan area -- the capital -- has cellphone service, and 65 percent of fixed lines can make long distance calls, the Puerto Rico Governor's Office said.

Officials said 40 percent of water customers now have water.

In a statement on Monday Rossello said, "We will need the full support of the U.S. government."

"This is a humanitarian disaster involving 3.4 million U.S. citizens," Rossello said. "People cannot forget we are U.S. citizens -- and proud of it. So much so that in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, which also hit Puerto Rico, we conducted emergency rescue operations to save thousands of U.S. citizens in the Caribbean islands that were devastated by that storm."

"Given Puerto Rico's fragile economic recovery prior to the storms, we ask the Trump Administration and U.S. Congress to take swift action to help Puerto Rico rebuild," Rossello said.

Assistant to the president on Homeland Security Tom Bossert, who is in Puerto Rico, on Monday called this a "very long and hard recovery" but vowed to Puerto Rico residents, "You will get what you need to recover."

FEMA administrator Brock Long, who is also in Puerto Rico, echoed Bossert's sentiments, saying the power of the federal government is being used to help Puerto Rico.

Long said search and rescue operations are still ongoing and more than 10,000 people are there to help clean up.

Long said FEMA officials are working on evacuating people from outlying hospitals to the Centro Medico in San Juan.

More than 2,000 soldiers and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers civilians have responded to Maria relief operations in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, according to the Army.

Metro Nashville PD(NASHVILLE, Tenn.) -- A friend of the 25-year-old who is accused of opening fire at a Tennessee church, killing one and injuring several others, describes the suspected gunman as a "deep Christian believer" who never showed any aggression.

Nashville police believe the suspect, 25-year-old Emanuel Samson, pulled into the parking lot of the Burnette Chapel Church of Christ in Antioch Sunday morning and spent at least several minutes there before church let out.

When a 39-year-old woman appeared in the parking lot, police say Samson opened fire, killing her.

Police said Samson then went into the main doors of the church sanctuary, shooting and wounding six people, who are all in their 60s or 80s. None of their injuries were life-threatening, police said.

Police said a 22-year-old church usher confronted Samson and during the struggle Samson’s gun discharged and he was shot and fell to the floor. The church usher, who suffered head injuries from being pistol-whipped during the struggle, ran out to his car to get a gun; he then returned and held the suspect at gunpoint until police arrived, police said.

A neighbor of the suspect’s and a friend of six years, 20-year-old Dejuan Martin, was shocked by the shooting, calling Samson "a normal guy."

Martin said they last spoke about four months ago, but since the two are neighbors, he would see still Samson every day.

Martin described the alleged killer as passionate, outgoing and a "pretty warmhearted" person.

Police said the motive is under investigation and the U.S. Attorney's Office says a federal civil rights investigation has been opened.

Police said Samson had allegedly been to this church -- which has racially diverse parishioners -- one to two years ago.

Four guns believed to be Samson’s were recovered: two at the church and two from his car, police said.

Samson is being charged with one count of murder, police said Sunday night, adding that additional charges will follow. According to an affidavit, during an interview, Samson admitted to firing his gun. He is set to appear in court on Wednesday. He does not yet have an attorney.

U.S. Marine Corps(QUANTICO, Va.) -- For the first time in its nearly 250-year history, the U.S. Marine Corps has a female infantry officer.

The woman, who wishes to keep her identity private, graduated from the Marines' Infantry Officer Course in Quantico, Virginia, on Monday.

Now a lieutenant, she is the first woman to finish the challenging course and the fourth to attempt it since the Marines opened all military occupational specialties, known as MOS, to women in April 2016.

“I am proud of this officer and those in her class who have earned the infantry officer MOS,” Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Robert Neller said in a press release Monday.

The female infantry officer will now head to the 1st Marine Division at Camp Pendleton, California, for her first assignment.

Today, the first female Marine graduated from Infantry Officer Course.

"Infantry Officer Course is the MOS-producing school for Marine Corps infantry officers and the prerequisite course for ground intelligence officers," the release said. "The grueling 13-week course trains and educates newly selected infantry and ground intelligence officers in leadership, infantry skills, and character required to serve as infantry platoon commanders in the operating forces."

In 2015, then-Defense Secretary Ash Carter made the decision to open all military combat roles to women, ending a ban on women's serving on the front lines. At the time, the Marine Corps formally advised that women should continue to be prevented from working in combat units, despite recommendations from the Army, Navy, Air Force and U.S. Special Operations Command that they be permitted to serve.

"We are a joint force, and I have decided to make a decision which applies to the entire force," explained Carter in 2015.

Earlier that year, two female soldiers became the first women to graduate from Army Ranger training camp but were not immediately permitted to serve in a Ranger regiment as the decision on combat roles had yet to be made.

@brennanmgilmore/Twitter(NEW YORK) -- Since former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick began kneeling during the national anthem in the 2016 pre-season, several veterans who fought for the U.S. military have been expressing their support for Kaepernick's protest.

President Donald Trump may have helped turn Kaepernick's silent demonstration into a bonafide movement when he suggested that NFL owners fire players who protest the national anthem during a Friday rally in Huntsville, Alabama.

"Wouldn’t you love to see one of the NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say 'Get that son of a b---- off the field right now?'" Trump said.

On Twitter, Trump defended his comments, saying that "Courageous Patriots have fought and died for our great American Flag."

Trump retweeted a photo of Pat Tillman, the former NFL player turned Army Ranger who died in Afghanistan in 2004 after enlisting in the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks.

Trump's comments spurred a backlash that included protest against the "Star Spangled Banner" across several NFL teams on Sunday. Several veterans who fought in the U.S. armed forces echoed the players' sentiments.

A photo of 97-year-old World War II veteran John Middlemas taking a knee went viral, after the man's grandson Brendan Gilmore posted it to Twitter.

The tweet -- which included a photo of the farmer from Willard, Missouri, kneeling on the ground accompanied by what Gilmore said was his grandfather's phrase "those kids have every right to protest" -- was retweeted nearly 130,000 times in just a day.

Gilmore wrote that his grandfather "has been an ally to the civil rights movement for many years."

The hashtag #VeteransForKaepernick began trending after people took notice that the former quarterback, who currently isn't signed to a NFL team, was not standing for the national anthem. After Sunday's gameday protests, veterans took to Twitter again using the hashtag along with a new one, #TakeAKnee.

Some NFL players decided to stand for the anthem on Sunday. Pittsburgh Steelers left tackle Alejandro Villanueva -- a former Army Ranger -- took to the field and placed his hand on his heart during the "Star Spangled Banner," despite his team's decision to skip the national anthem altogether.

However, in the past, Villanueva has expressed solidarity with Kaepernick, saying in a 2016 interview, "I will be the first one to hold hands with Colin Kaepernick and do something about the way minorities are being treated in the United States, the injustice that is happening with police brutality, the justice system, inequalities in pay," according to ESPN.

Even as the protests he inspired become more widepsread, Kaepernick remains unsigned in the NFL. He opted out of his contract with the 49ers after last season.

Aaron Katersky/ABC News(NEW YORK) -- Anthony Weiner, the disgraced former New York congressman and soon-to-be ex-husband of top Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin, broke down in federal court Monday as he was sentenced to 21 months in prison for sending obscene material to a 15-year-old high school student in North Carolina.

Weiner, 53, who pleaded guilty last May to a single count of transferring obscene material to a minor, was also sentenced to three years of supervised release.

When Judge Denise Cote announced her decision, Weiner, who was seeking probation, dropped his head and started to cry.

"This is a serious crime that deserves serious punishment," Cote said in court.

Federal prosecutors had asked a judge to send Weiner to prison for 21 to 27 months. Acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim said in a statement Monday, "Anthony Weiner, a former Congressman and candidate for Mayor, asked a girl who he knew to be 15 years old to display her naked body and engage in sexually explicit behavior for him online. Justice demands that this type of conduct be prosecuted and punished with time in prison. Monday, Anthony Weiner received a just sentence that was appropriate for his crime."

Weiner sobbed audibly in court for a few minutes after the proceeding ended. He did not speak as he left the courthouse.

Monday's sentencing marks the end of a six-year saga during which Weiner resigned from Congress, unsuccessfully ran for mayor of New York and separated from Abedin, who filed for divorce the day he was indicted. Weiner and Abedin are parents to a young son.

Weiner's crime may have played a role in Clinton's loss to Donald Trump. When the FBI found Abedin's email on his computer, then-FBI Director James Comey revisited the investigation into Clinton's use of a private server.

Defense attorney Arlo Devlin-Brown said Monday that Weiner's "repeated acts of self destruction are not those of a scheming criminal."

Weiner had asked for probation, citing his continual recovery from an illness that cost him his marriage and career.

“A term of imprisonment would bring Anthony’s indisputably successful treatment for the sickness underlying his crime to an immediate and complete halt and separate Anthony from the son who has motivated his recovery,” his defense attorneys wrote.

In an emotional statement in May, Weiner said he "compulsively sought attention from women," engaging many of them in sexual and non-sexual conversations. He said his behavior started when he entered Congress and it continued through the first six months of 2016.

"These destructive impulses brought great devastation to my family and friends, and destroyed my life's dream of public service," he said.

Weiner said he "came to grips for the first time with the depths of my sickness" last fall and entered "intensive treatment."

ABC News(NASHVILLE, Tenn.) -- A 22-year-old church usher was heralded as a hero after he confronted a masked gunman who opened fire at a Tennessee parish on Sunday as services were ending.

Police said Robert Engle, an usher at the Burnette Chapel Church of Christ in Nashville, Tennessee, engaged in a struggle with the suspected shooter, Emanual Samson, 25, after he allegedly opened fire at the church on Sunday morning, killing one woman and wounding six others.

"He's the hero,” Metro Nashville Police Chief Steve Anderson said at a news conference on Sunday. “He's the person who stopped this madness."

Samson allegedly entered the church’s parking lot around 11 a.m. and fatally shot 39-year-old Melanie Smith as she walked to her car after service, police said.

The suspect is believed to have been there for at least several minutes before church service let out, according to police.

Samson, who was wearing a neoprene half-mask, then entered the church and began to shoot "indiscriminately," wounding six people who were later treated for non-life-threatening injuries, according to police.

Engle confronted the gunman in an effort to keep him from shooting more people and was pistol-whipped in the process, police said, adding that the suspect accidentally shot himself in the chest while struggling with Engle.

Engle eventually ran out to his car to retrieve his own pistol, which he used to hold the suspect at gunpoint until police arrived, officials said.

The young usher, who said he has attended the church since he was a small child, does not consider himself a hero.

“I do not want to be labeled a hero," Engle said in a statement Sunday. "The real heroes are the police, first responders and medical staff and doctors who have helped me and everyone affected.”

He also asked for people to pray for those who were affected by the shooting.

"I ask everyone to pray for the victims, family members of the victims, our church community. Please pray for healing,” Engle said in another statement. “Also, please pray for the shooter, the shooter’s family and friends. They are hurting as well.”

One witness, Minerva Rosa, said the situation could have been worse if Engle had not intervened.

"He's amazing," Rosa told reporters on Sunday. "Without him, I think it could be worse. He was the hero today."

Rosa, who has been a member of the Burnette Chapel Church of Christ for eight years, said the suspect was silent as he fired shots inside the church. She said she heard the pastor shout "Run! Run! Gunshots!" as the gunman made his way down the aisle.

Engle's grandmother, 69-year-old Rheta Engle, told a local newspaper that she was proud of him.

"That’s like him. He’s just someone who cares about a lot of people. He has all their feelings at heart," she told the Tennessean on Sunday afternoon. "It would make any parent, grandparent very, very proud of him."

Blake Langford, Robert Engle's friend, described him as a “gentle giant.”

“He's just a great guy,” Langford told the Tennessean. “Just one of the kindest human beings you'll ever meet.”

Robert Engle was released from a local hospital on Sunday night and is back home with his family, according to local news outlets.

Samson, who police said had attended the church within the past two years, was treated at a local hospital for a gunshot wound and is expected to be charged with one count of murder, with additional charges pending, according to police.

The motive for the shooting is unclear.

The Memphis FBI Field Office's Nashville Resident Agency, the Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Tennessee have opened a civil rights investigation into the shooting.

ABCNews.com(NEW YORK) -- President Trump has issued a presidential proclamation banning or restricting travel from eight countries, adding Chad and Venezuela and North Korea to the original list of Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen.

The administration is taking a tailored approach, providing a variety of conditions, ranging from suspended immigrant and non-immigrant travel to allowing travel for nonimmigrants with additional scrutiny.

Since the travel ban is condition-based, if and when the conditions change for any of the eight countries, the proclamation can be changed. Also, at any time, the Secretary of Homeland Security can recommend that countries be added. The restrictions are indefinite, however, since they don't have a 90- or 120-day limit like the previous travel bans Trump issued in January and in March.

The new travel restrictions are effective immediately for those subject to the two earlier travel bans, and take effect Octoberr 18 for those subject to these new provisions.

This ban does not apply to lawful permanent residents, those already in the United States on the effective date, those with valid visas on the effective date, dual citizens who are traveling on passports of a non-banned country, or those already granted asylum.

The ban is tailored slightly differently for each country. Also, like the last ban issued in March, there is a provision for case-by-case waivers, which helps the administration's legal arguments that the ban is Constitutional.

"The travel ban -- the tougher the better," the president said Sunday before boarding Air Force One on his way back to Washington, D.C., from Bedminster, New Jersey.This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Metro Nashville PD(ANTIOCH, Tenn.) -- Police have identified the gunman who shot a woman dead and injured six other churchgoers after he opened fire Sunday morning at a Tennessee church as services were ending.

The shooting at Burnett's Chapel Church of Christ in Antioch, Tennessee, started in the church's parking lot, according to police and the Nashville Fire Department. Nashville Metro police spokesman Don Aaron said emergency calls came in around 11:15 a.m. as services were letting out.

The gunman, identified by police as 25-year-old Emanual Kidega Samson, arrived in the parking lot and first fatally fired at 39-year-old Melanie Smith, who was walking to her car, police said. Samson was wearing a neoprene half-mask and drove an SUV, Aaron said.

After gunning down the woman in the parking lot, Samson went inside through the rear of the church and began “indiscriminately shooting at people,” police said, wounding six people.

A church usher, identified as 22-year-old Robert Engle, ran up and confronted Samson and was subsequently pistol-whipped by him, police said. Samson was at some point shot in the left pectoral, though police still don’t know if the gun discharged on its own during Engle’s struggle with the suspect.

At that point, Engle went to his car, where he got his weapon to confront the shooter again.

Police said Samson had attended the church within the past two years. He has been released from a local hospital and will be charged with one count of murder, with additional charges to come.

BREAKING: Samson will be charged with one count of murder tonight. Multiple additional charges will be placed later. pic.twitter.com/RBNv1qY3yk

The Memphis FBI Field Office's Nashville Resident Agency, the Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Tennessee have opened a civil rights investigation into the shooting, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Sunday.

All seven of the wounded were taken to area hospitals. Five of them were sent to Vanderbilt Medical Center and one to Skyline Medical Center.

Vanderbilt Medical Center said in a statement after the shooting that its emergency medicine physicians and trauma center surgeons are caring for two critically injured gunshot victims, and another four individuals who are currently in stable condition.

Nashville Christian School released a statement on Sunday, saying, “As you may already know, one of our Bible teachers, Joey Spann, and his wife were both injured in the church shooting this morning at Burnette Chapel Church of Christ in Antioch. We do not have any additional information at this time but want to boldly ask you to pray. Please lift up Coach Joey Spann and his wife Peggy and all who have been injured or impacted by this tragic event.”

Nashville Mayor Megan Barry released a statement on Sunday: “This is a terrible tragedy for our city,” she said. “My heart aches for the family and friends of the deceased as well as for the wounded victims and their loved ones. Their lives have been forever changed, as has the life of their faith community at Burnette Chapel Church of Christ.

“My administration, especially the Metro Nashville Police Department, will continue to work with community members to stop crime before it starts, encourage peaceful conflict resolution, and promote non-violence,” she added.

John Leyba/The Denver Post/ Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- President Trump's lashing out at NFL players who kneel in protest during the national anthem and the resulting backlash is playing out in part on social media, including under a Twitter hashtag trending Sunday morning, #TakeAKnee, and also another variation, #TakeTheKnee.

The hashtag drew sharp responses from people both opposed and supportive of players protesting by kneeling during the pregame national anthem, a practice that drew attention beginning in the 2016 preseason when Colin Kaepernick, then a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, quietly knelt. Kaepernick told the press that he was protesting the treatment of blacks in the United States.

One supporter of the protests said critics should "wake up" because the players are exercising their rights.

So it’s disrespectful for sports players to #TakeTheKnee in silent protest but ok for white supremacists to walk about with swastikas...

Jack Posobiec, a right-wing activist who has promoted conspiracy theories such as "Pizzagate," argued that 80 percent of Americans tuning into NFL football on Sunday would turn off the TV if players kneel during the anthem.

If #TakeTheKnee goes down today, 80% will turn off the TV. Sports fans hate politics, they just want to watch the game.

Joe Raedle/Getty Images(SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico) -- Fears in storm-battered Puerto Rico have shifted to a failing dam as the U.S. territory reels from the devastating impact of Hurricane Maria.

Early Saturday morning, the National Weather Service said failure of the Guajataca Dam in northwest Puerto Rico is "imminent" and could cause "life-threatening flash flooding" downstream on the Guajataca River. Dam operators said it began to show signs of failing, causing flash flooding, on Friday around 2:10 p.m. ET.

"Move to higher ground now," the National Weather Service urged residents in the area. "This is an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation."

At a press conference Friday afternoon, Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello said all available resources were sent to evacuate people near Lake Guajataca, where the dam at the northern end is in danger of breaking. The National Weather Service in San Juan tweeted that nearly 8,000 people who live in the area could be affected. The number previously given had been an estimated 70,000 people.

Maria weakened to a Category 2 hurricane on Sunday, with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph as of 5 a.m. ET. The storm at the time was moving toward the north at 9 mph, and its eye was located about 530 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The storm is still projected to stay off the East Coast, but tropical storm or hurricane watches could be put in effect for the Carolina or Mid-Atlantic coasts on Sunday with tropical storm-force winds currently extending 240 miles from the eye.

The death toll in storm-hit areas is rising as Maria continued to barrel through the Caribbean on Saturday, three days after its landfall in Puerto Rico left the island in the dark.

At least 24 people have died in the storm, including 15 in Dominica, seven in Puerto Rico and two in Guadeloupe.

The hurricane came ashore in Puerto Rico early Wednesday as a powerful Category 4 hurricane with 155 mph winds -- the first Category 4 to hit the island since 1932. The storm wiped out the island's power grid and dumped 20 to 30 inches of rain in 24 hours, with some areas seeing 40 inches locally.

There is potential for the death toll in Puerto Rico to rise, the island's secretary of the department of safety said on Friday.

Although Maria has hurtled past the island, Puerto Rico will see heavy rainfall through Saturday from the storm's trailing rain bands, likely an additional 3 to 6 inches, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Water supplies on the island are lacking because of the lack of power, Rossello said. In addition, the water agency suffered "severe damage," he said.

Rossello has also extended a curfew and ban on alcohol sales on the island from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. ET through Sunday.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo departed for Puerto Rico on Friday to bring donated supplies to the island and assess the need, after Puerto Rico's governor made a request for aid. Cuomo traveled with members of the National Guard as well as New York Congresswoman and Puerto Rico native Nydia Velázquez.

Residents of Puerto Rico's hard-hit north coast were seen wading through floodwater inside what's left of their homes.

ABC News correspondents observed widespread destruction in the town of Guaynabo, about 10 miles south of San Juan where trees and power lines were downed and storefronts and building facades had crumbled. Neighborhoods in Guaynabo were filled with waist-deep floodwaters and destroyed homes that were apparently not built to any kind of code.

Guaynabo resident Ramon Caldero and his family hunkered down in their kitchen during the storm, which caused part of the ceiling to collapse in his sister's room.

"I was worried," Caldero told ABC News. "My sister was screaming."

Christy Caban of Nashville, Tennessee, rode out the storm with her husband and 13-month-old baby in their hotel room just east of San Juan.

"We don't have power, we don't have water," Caban told ABC News.

Puerto Rico's emergency management agency confirmed that 100 percent of the island had lost power by Wednesday afternoon, noting that anyone with electricity was using a generator.

Abner Gomez Cortes, executive director of the agency, told ABC News more than 12,000 people are currently in shelters, and hospitals are running on generators. Two hospitals -- one in Caguas and one in Bayamon -- were damaged in the storm.

A spokesperson with the Puerto Rico governor's office confirmed to ABC News at least one person has died in the storm. The person was killed in Bayamon, just southwest of San Juan, after being hit in the head by a wooden panel.

Meanwhile, telecommunications throughout the island have "collapsed," Cortes said, describing the storm as unprecedented.

Multiple transmission lines sustained damage, according to Ricardo Ramos, director of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority. Ramos said he hopes to start launching helicopters by this weekend to begin inspecting the lines.

Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello has imposed a curfew on the island Wednesday from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. ET through Saturday.

Puerto Rico narrowly missed landfall by Hurricane Irma two weeks ago, with the Category 5 storm traveling just north of the U.S. territory. The island suffered heavy rain and wind, but nothing near the widespread damage incurred by Maria.

Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City on Thursday, President Donald Trump said Hurricane Maria "absolutely obliterated" the U.S. territory and "totally destroyed" its power grid, but that the recovery process will begin soon with "great gusto."

Puerto Rico “got hit with winds, they say they’ve never seen winds like this anywhere," Trump added.On the forecast track

Maria is expected to turn toward the north-northwest later Friday, then turn toward the north by late Saturday, according to the National Hurricane Center. That means the storm's core will move away from Turks and Caicos on Friday and pass near the Southeast Bahamas through Sunday.

The National Hurricane Center on Friday warned a "dangerous storm surge" coupled with "large and destructive waves" will raise water levels by as much as 9 to 12 feet above normal tide levels in parts of Turks and Caicos and the Southeast Bahamas. And through Saturday, Maria is expected to produce up to 20 inches of rain in parts of Dominican Republic and Turks and Caicos.

But Maria is forecast to gradually weaken during the next 48 hours and beyond due to higher wind shear as the hurricane moves into the cooler waters of the Atlantic Ocean. The diminishing storm will move between Bermuda and the eastern coast of the United States before heading further east and out to sea sometime next week, according to the latest forecast models.

The storm's path is still expected to steer clear of the U.S. mainland.

"At this point, I don’t think Maria will have any major impacts to the mainland besides the high surf and rip currents," ABC News senior meteorologist Max Golembo said Friday morning.

Other Caribbean islands devastated

Maria also did severe damage to other Caribbean islands without making landfall.

Dominica's prime minister, Roosevelt Skerrit, told ABS Television on Thursday that at least 15 people have died and many homes are destroyed beyond repair. The death toll in the island nation is likely to rise and search and rescue missions are ongoing. At least 16 additional people are missing in some communities, he said.

“We have many deaths, but it is a miracle that we do not have hundreds of deaths in the country,” Skerrit told ABS Television.

According to Skerrit, the island has no electricity and only limited telecommunications have been restored since the storm. Some villages are now only accessible by sea or via helicopter

The prime minister told ABS Television that his home's roof was ripped off during the storm and he had to take cover under a bed to protect himself from falling debris.

Hartley Henry, an adviser to Dominica's prime minister, told reporters via WhatsApp on Wednesday that his country has suffered a "tremendous loss of housing and public buildings" since the storm hit, ripping off roofs and tearing doors from hinges. Dominica's main general hospital "took a beating" and "patient care has been compromised," he said.

"The country is in a daze -- no electricity, no running water," Henry said via a WhatsApp message. "In summary, the island has been devastated."

The Ross University School of Medicine, based in Portsmouth, Dominica, announced Wednesday on Facebook that it is attempting to make contact with all of its students. More than 1,400 students and faculty have signed the registration sheet so far, and the school has reached out to the family members of more than 700 others, who informed them that they are safe.

In Guadeloupe, officials announced Wednesday two people were killed and two others were missing in the storm's wake.

France's Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said some 80,000 people in Guadeloupe -- around 40 percent of the population -- were without electricity Wednesday. Many roads there are impassible due to flooding and French Navy planes have not been able to assess the damage on the island due to bad weather conditions.

In Martinique, about 70,000 homes were without electricity and 50,000 homes did not have access to safe drinking water Wednesday. Fallen trees and downed power poles have blocked many roads there, Collomb said.

Police and soldiers have been deployed in both Martinique and Guadeloupe to ensure security. More than 3,000 first responders are on the French Caribbean islands, according to Collomb.

The U.S. Department of State sent a message of solidarity Wednesday to the people of Dominica and all across the Caribbean who were affected by Maria.